Happy Tuesday, my beautiful friends!
First off: Thank you SO very much for all your kind, beautiful, and supportive words on my pregnancy announcement yesterday! You all put a HUGE smile on my face and made it feel that much more REAL! I mean, I obviously know that I'm pregnant (duh), but when you tell everyone, I don't know, it kind of just hits you more and makes it that much more exciting, ya know!? Ah...so excited, you guys!
Anyway....
Now is the time of year many of us reflect on what we'd like to improve or work towards throughout the rest of the year. Call them resolutions or goals, these changes are intended for us to become better versions of ourselves and come in many forms. A goal that's often made is to change the way we dress to better reflect the true or new person we want to become (i.e. you've always been shy, but this year you want to work towards becoming more social and outgoing).
I truly believe that how we feel is often reflected in the way we dress and vice versa. For me personally, my style is quite eclectic because I love trying new things in general. I'm also a social person, which is also reflective in my love for bold colors and patterns. In addition, I feel most confident when I'm wearing something that not only reflects my personality, but that fits my shape perfectly. Who doesn't right!?
So, if you're thinking about making some improvements to the way you dress, I hope you find the following suggestions helpful:
1. Is there a blogger or celebrity who's style you absolutely LOVE?
For me, it's Olivia Palermo. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to her style that I constantly refer to for inspiration, especially on those days when I don't know what to wear. This is such a great place to start off because it will give you a better idea of what YOUR personal style is if you were uncertain before. It doesn't have to be just one person either, it can be few and you may notice they all have a very similar aesthetic. Create a Pinterest board where you can pin all your favorite looks of theirs that can help you work with pieces you already have in your wardrobe to recreate the looks you love, but with your own unique spin.
2. What's your lifestyle like?
This has a huge influence on our style choices because who wants to have various sections of their wardrobe reserved for certain situations?! That makes for a restricting wardrobe that doesn't allow you to get the most wear out of your clothing. If you're a working woman, make sure you have pieces that can be worn both to work and on the weekends, such as a neutral colored blazer and flowy blouses. Looser blouses can be tucked into pants or skirts for work for a more polished look and can be worn untucked on the weekends with a pair of skinny or flared jeans. Plus, they're very forgiving and universally flattering. Regardless of what you do for a living, you want a wardrobe that's comprised of versatile pieces that can be worn in various circumstances, mix and match!
3. Learn what works and what doesn't
You already know that I'm a huge proponent for loving and accepting our body shapes for what they are. For way too long, we were (and still are) told by the media and society what the ideal woman looks like, which is often unrealistic and not a true representation of actual real life women, who come in ALL shapes and sizes. I believe when we know and understand our body shapes, it gives us a clear vision for what to look for when shopping because we already know what's flattering and what's not. There's no point in waisting our money on a trending item that we don't feel 100% amazing in. At the same time, I believe we should have plenty of options to choose from, which is why I often provide alternative ways to styling pieces that may otherwise not be as flattering in a way that totally works!
The only way to be able to do this, however, is if f you know your body shape. If you don't know your shape and would like to, watch my video (here) to learn how you can finally figure it out and begin dressing in a way that works for you! Once you determine your shape, you can make another Pinterest board with celebrities who have the same or similar body shape as you (even if they don't have the same style per se, it will give you placement ideas). Though they don't always get it right, most of them (if not all) have personal stylists who dress them according to their shapes, as well as their styles, to have them looking their best. This can give you some ideas for creating outfits or pieces that you may want to incorporate more of in your closet that work best for your shape.
4. What makes you glow?
Knowing if you have cool, warm, or neutral undertones will give you a better idea for which shades are more flattering for your skin tone. Notice I mentioned shades? The reason is that I believe every color looks great on everyone, we sometimes have to work with different shades or hues of a color for a more flattering effect. For instance, olive green may not look great on you, but that doesn't mean hunter or emerald green doesn't; you see what I mean? If you're more into neutrals or don't like wearing colors at all, opt for metals that provide that glow, in which you'd still need to know your skin tone to determine. If you are cool toned, then wear mostly sliver or white gold. If you're warm, opt for gold. If you're neutral, you can play around with whichever metal you choose, as both provide the same results in your case.
5. Remain true to YOU
In the world of fashion, trends always come and go, that's a given. What's trending now may not speak to you or draw you in and that's okay, don't feel as though you need to force it. Remember, personal style is personal, which means it's entirely reflective of you as an individual. You don't want to feel as though you're wearing a costume and not being true to who you are for the sake of fitting in, it will affect your confidence and it's not worth it.
That's it! Pretty easy, huh?! I hope you found these tips helpful and got some ideas on how to simplify the process in determining your personal style. Who's style do YOU feel most inspired by?
Thanks so much for stopping by, my dear friends, and I hope you're having a great start to your week so far!
XO,
